More than four walls and a roof

Inside the walls of Gateway180, families are more than the sum of the hardships they are currently facing. They are courageous souls taking the next step in their journey toward a better life.

Basement

Main Floor

Third Floor

Fourth Floor

Outside

Laundry Room

Storage Room

The Alan Green Children’s Activity Center

Our residents do all of their own laundry—everyone deserves to go to work or to school with clean clothes on. By letting people continue to care for themselves and their families like they would at home, we empower them to continue to make changes in their lives.

Everything that is donated to us is sorted and stored in here by our volunteers. This includes clothes, toiletries, household items for when families transition to permanent housing, and even birthday gifts for children staying with us. Residents that do extra work around the house can also visit our Inspiration Store in this area, where they can purchase extra items they want or need, like hair products, with “shares” they’ve earned.

As families work to rebuild their lives, it can be difficult to find time to connect. Our playroom is full of toys, books, chalkboards, board games and more. When parents find support systems like Gateway180, they are able to focus more on the emotional needs of their children.

Cafeteria

Lobby

Kitchen

Gymnasium

Counseling Office

Computer Lab

We provide nourishment for individuals, parents and kids at breakfast and dinner every day. The comfort of knowing that you can start and end your day with a hot meal allows families to focus their energy on finding stability in other areas like housing and employment.

Just inside the front door of the Gateway180 house lies a friendly face. Families are warmly received by volunteers who help make assisting about 160 residents every day possible. When they arrive, every member of a family gets a bed assignment and a bag with the essentials, like a toothbrush and toothpaste.

The story of Gateway180 could not be told without mentioning Miss Gladys. For over 25 years, she’s cooked both breakfast and dinner every day for the families staying at Gateway180. More than just nourishment, Miss Gladys is providing comfort in the form of a warm smile and an unwavering dedication to helping others.

Thanks to a grant from the city of St. Louis, Gateway180 was able to add 50 new beds and help even more people in need get back on their feet. This meant converting our gymnasium into a dorm, but with donations and help from our community, we hope to one day revert this space back to a place where families can spend some precious free time together.

Beyond support through housing and daily necessities, Gateway180 provides emotional support for every resident through a social worker. The absence of stable housing brings with it many complex emotions, especially in children—and our staff is devoted to helping families identify obstacles preventing them from finding enduring stability.

A better life begins with stable employment. Our computer lab is where residents begin to realize their dreams and find the resources available to make them happen.

Bedrooms

A bed is so much more than a place to lay your head at night. It’s a place that’s yours; that you know will be there when you get back. Not knowing where you’ll sleep on any given night is something that holds many people experiencing homelessness back. By meeting this need for parents, kids and individuals, we free them from the worry of finding a place to rest and empower them to pursue employment and housing.

Bedrooms

At Gateway180, our investment in families that come to us extends to our desire to keep everyone together. While some shelters separate men from women and children, or don’t accept them at all, we keep families with fathers together on the fourth floor.

Mack's Backyard

We often hear from visiting families how much the children missed their backyards from home. In 2011, we were able to make this a reality in our own backyard—because every child deserves a place to play. While kids play on the swingset or loll in the grass, parents can watch from the nearby vegetable garden and enjoy the outdoors as a family.